Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It will be very brief and concise. The figure with which we are dealing is €53 billion of taxpayers' money, of which €38 billion is net expenditure, down 2.7% from last year. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will say the Revised Estimates were discussed at the committees, but the overall choices made and the priorities as between Departments were not discussed by any committee. Each line Department discussed its Estimates, but there was no debate in the Chamber or elsewhere about the Government's priorities in the areas of health, social protection, agriculture and job creation. Last December the Tánaiste forced through Supplementary Estimates without debate and without information being provided at the time. I thought she had learned something, but, as leader of the Labour Party, she clearly has not because the Estimate for her Department was only discussed yesterday afternoon, less than 24 hours ago. At that committee meeting she gave a commitment to provide information on the savings accruing to the Department in transferring recipients, mainly women, from the one-parent family payment to the jobseeker's payment. She has not yet provided that information.

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